The 2013 Giants, the End: Adding up what all went wrong, and it’s A LOT (but how serious is it for 2014?)

OK, even if the Giants go 36-0 from right now to the season’s finish line (and they won’t), they’d still fall 2 short of last year’s 94-win total.

That’s right, it’s Aug. 22 and the Giants already have two more losses (70) than they did all of 2012, when I believe they didn’t stop playing until there was a parade somewhere.

They’re on pace to lose 90 games, by the way. I didn’t foresee this happening, not this kind of cliff dive. I don’t think anybody did.
So some things have to be figured out and deciphered before heading to 2014,…

To be clear: This post is in no way an attempt to detail every definitive 2013 cause and effect. All that, I’m sure, will come over the next many weeks, possibly even a few more attempts by me.

Today, I just want to run through some things right now as we watch the Giants season–in trouble for months now–all but cease to exist as a relevant topic in the Bay Area and see how that spills into early-bird 2014 calculations.

Let’s take a quick look at the main factors and how they play into determinations for the Giants’ near- and long-term future…

1--There’s a natural karmic pay-back for two (out of three) golden years of super-wisdom, good timing, wonderful luck, chemistry, endurance, magic clutch-iness… whatever you want to call it… went on for a long time and had to end at some point.

You can’t win every year, and you definitely can’t when you’ve won it in the recent past with a roster that isn’t exactly loaded with dominant players–when you win because you get MAX performances at exactly the perfect moments.

The run wasn’t going to go on forever. Many franchises haven’t had a run like that in decades… or centuries.

Practically, the two extra-long campaigns in three seasons and the World Baseball Classic this spring put a metric ton of additional physical and mental wear-and-tear on the Giants’ stars, especially their pitching staff, building up to this regular season.

Yes, they were due for some bad events and bad times.

In the “luck” category, from 2010-2012, the SFGs did suffer one catastrophe (Buster Posey in 2011), but other than that, nothing devastating to any of their major pieces.

Advertisement

And they got incredible good fortune in a lot of other areas. I mean, once-in-a-generation things started happening every other month for this franchise.

For instance, in 2010 Pat Burrell showed up off the scrap heap and immediately started hitting home runs when the Giants desperately needed it.

And Freddy Sanchez, who had been hurt and would continue to be hurt for most of his Giants career, suddenly got healthy in the fall, and lit up the postseason with line drives and terrific fielding. And Edgar Renteria showed up for the postseason.

And in 2012, Tim Lincecum struggled for the entire season, but the Giants had Ryan Vogelsong–another one off the scrap heap–going strong.

Then when Lincecum was needed in the postseason, he was there in relief. And though Hunter Pence didn’t hit much in 2012, he yelled a lot and that seemed important; and Marco Scutaro showed up in July and all he did was hit; and a guy named Zito showed up for two epic October starts.

Lots of things like that.

That was not going to last. And it’s kind of unbelievable it did for as long as it did.

–How this projects to 2014: Since the Giants’ luck in 2013 has been almost entirely bad (injuries to Angel Pagan and Jeremy Affeldt, among others and production spirals by several key players, plus zero career-years), maybe things will re-balance next season, though they still probably are deeply over-drawn on the good fortune, at least for a few more years.

Plus, the lack of postseason work should be good for Madison Bumgarner and Matt Cain.

So… Posey remains an elite building block, along with Bumgarner, and they are due to get something closer to career-years out of Pablo Sandoval, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford and/or one of their outfielders, whoever they are.

That’s the base of an 84-88-win team, which is where I thought they should’ve been this year. If they can get those things, what they need is that extra boost they got from other players in 2010 and 2012. That’s still TBA.

2–The starting pitching, which has been the bedrock of this team not only through two World Championships, but for the years before and between, never got on any kind of roll in 2013.

The double-October tolls had something to do with this, as mentioned above. But it still does not fully explain…

That’s a total collapse. And for the first time in a while, the Giants go into an off-season with at least 2/5ths of the rotation totally up in the air.

We’ll get into the Tim Lincecum free agent issue plenty in the next few weeks, but the reality is that they SFGs cannot count on him as a locked-in starter for 2014, and we know that Barry Zito will not be in a Giants uniform next season.

–How this projects to 2014: Unlike in the recent past–but absolutely like what most teams go through every winter–the Giants need to find some starting pitchers. They’re good at it, though.

3–The hitting, always put together on a bootstrap even in the title years, fell apart in 2013.

The Giants have hit 75 home runs this season so far, 2nd-to-last in the majors, ahead of only Miami and far below the NL average 112. They’re on pace to hit 96 HRs for the season.

They’re also on pace to score only 613 run (they’re averaging 3.78 per, 26th ranked, way below MLB average, which is 4.2.)

Last year, the Giants were also a non-HR team (hit 103, last in the majors), but thanks to a lot of doubles and 483 walks, the SFGs registered a representative .724 OPS (right at MLB average) and scored 718 runs (4.43 runs per), above the MLB average.

So how come the Giants are averaging more than half-a-run less than last year, when they weren’t a great offense?

A quick scan of the stats: Their OBP is down (to .306 OBP), their SLG is down (to .377) and together that has dropped their OPS to .693 OPS, below the MLB average OPS of .715.

Similar to when they held onto Aubrey Huff and Cody Ross from 2010 to 2011 and had to absorb the inevitable plunge in production after their career 2010s, the Giants got hit with the injury to Pagan (and a possible dip, anyway) and non-career years out of Scutaro, Blanco and Pence.

It happens. It’s not like there was a great answer out there available to the Giants last off-season. They will need that answer, however, in the coming years. Or many answers.

–How this projects to 2014: The Giants have questions in left field, are never sure what they’ll get from Sandoval at third base, and we’ll see what they do with Pence in RF. They also have to be concerned about Scutaro’s recurring injuries and they’ll need an MVP-like resurgence from Posey.

But you know what? The SFGs probably would’ve had these questions even if things were going better this year. They’ve achieved a lot without getting the best from Sandoval (his last great full season was in 2009). So now they can point to him in 2014 (when he’s a pending free agent) and say, Show us Panda.

4–The focus began to slide a few weeks ago, or maybe a few months ago, and that has been evidenced by a slew of mental and physical errors that we haven’t seen this team make in a while.

This is maybe typical of a team that is used to winning and suddenly is not winning. Or a team that over-achieved for several years and now the calculus is working against them.

–How this projects to 2014: The SFGs need an infusion of young talent and energy, like they got from Posey and Bumgarner in 2010 and Crawford and Belt over the last few years.

Again, they probably would’ve needed this in the coming off-season no matter how this season went.
5–Overall, the Bochy-Sabean brain trust didn’t have the answers this year.

They’re a tremendous management team. They will be together into next year and probably many more years. But the Sabean-Bochy alchemy lost hold of this season at some point in May and never got it back.

That’s much different even than in 2011, when, despite losing Posey, the Giants found a way won 86 games and I believe set the stage for the 2012 title run.

The hallmark of that period: Bochy and Sabean had a team that was built on great pitching, some timely hitting, and a clubhouse that bound together.

It was an incredible era of Giants baseball–the greatest era.

That era is over. There’s nothing guaranteeing that the Giants will stay this bad into 2014. In fact, the proper odds say that they should be much better, just by showing up and not bumbling around as much as they are doing this season.

But there’s also no guarantee any more that they will have a top 10 pitching staff, that they will keep fighting through every squalid period and that their offense will scrap it together at just the right time, every time.

This is a parallel to the end of the Barry Bonds era in 2007; that team was turning into a Lincecum-Cain team, and that was the basis of a lot of greatness, once Posey, Bumgarner and many others were added.

And now that base is going through another mandatory evolution. It’s changing. Into what? We don’t know yet.

The question of what has gone so wrong, especially in the West going forward, is very simple: will this club spend the enormous amount of money they have made over the last 5+ years?

If I have to hear apologists like Bruce Jenkins play poor-mouth in the finest Larry Baer tradition I will (like many others) simply drop this team and look elsewhere for entertainment. No excuses. Everyone involved knows that the owners have made a fortune in the last decade. And there is NOTHING entertaining about losing games this badly, month after month: Mike Kickham, Jake Dunning, Juan Perez, Gregor Blanco, Andres Torres, not to mention all of the fat men the Giants’ brass has waddled out on the field this year…this ongoing fiasco is an insult to any concept of professionalism.

So let’s start with basics: the fat boys lose weight and arrive at spring training looking like athletes or they are gone. Period. No excuses. No exceptions.

But one more thought for the Jenkins/Baer crowd: you don’t pay to watch, fellas, we do, and if you think middle class fans are going to fork over thousands of dollars for second-rate, obese “talent,” with the constant excuse of “small market” team as your go-to refrain in a metropolitan area of almost 6 million, you’re either arrogant and delusional. Maybe both…just a toxic mix.

Either compete with the Dodgers or lower your ticket prices to 2005 levels. But this year has been an absolute disgrace, and that trade of Wheeler for Beltran looks even more ridiculous as you trot out this pathetic string of minor league “prospects” who have no ability and no chance of success.

1. The dropoff in OBP and extra base hits (mostly gap shots, doubles and triples) from Pagan, to Torres/Blanco, is utterly atrocious. Problem scoring runs? A non existent leadoff hitter will do that.

2. The dropoff from Gaudin as the 5th-7th inning guy, to Kontos/Moscrapo hurts atrociously. Throw in 2 months of injuries out of Affeldt and Casilla, the prime 8th inning men, means that the bullpen literally has nobody between when the starter leaves, and when Romo comes in (and Romo has had his worst statistical season since his rookie year. Still a good season, but giving up too many game tying runs).

3. Posey just hasn’t been hitting with RISP, easy runs, like he used to. Last year? If there was a runner on 3rd and <2 outs, you could amost guarantee that run was coming in. Posey has been in that situation way too much, especially recently, and GIDP or hit a soft out to the left side of the infield. He's struggling.

4. Speaking of struggling? Brandon Belt, in the 6th hole in July, had to be one of the worst 1st basemen in baseball that month. His ability to not knock in RBI's behind the meat of the order was dreadful. Luckily he has turned that around to a degree unheard of, this August, but it remains to be seen if he will keep that form. Hopefully it will.

In my opinion, the targets are easy this offseason. The Giants will save 5-7 million on Lincecum, and 20 million on Zito. Pence might cost an extra 3-4 mil a year, so use the other 22-25 mil on the following:

A) A better 4th/5th starter than Gaudin, so we can have stability in the long relief role, OR get some stability in the long relief role (this is usually the cheaper option, considering Gaudin has had an impressive 3.50 ERA as a starter this season)

B) Re-sign Hunter Pence. Look, he's not an 18m a year guy, but the Giants aren't going to get a better right handed bat, defensive player, speed guy, hard worker, than Pence for that money. So you HAVE to keep him (Sorry Bob Fitzgerald, you're wrong on this, as you always are with baseball).

C) You still have 15-20 million left, get a better LF or CF, ideally a CF so that Pagan can move to LF, where his defense merits his play.

Ever since Sabean has taken the reigns in the post-Bonds era, he doesn't splurge as much on FA, which is why I think aiming for bullpen help in the middle relief role, as well as a 5th starter, and LF/CF is a completely reasonable option.

Payroll will expand naturally from Cain, Posey, Bum, etc. contracts, but we're not blowing up 20 mil a year on one guy. Keep Pence, get better bullpen help or starting pitching, and for goodness sake, get a better OF.

Cain should return to form, Lincecum has been looking better but who knows how long that'll last. And we'll have to wait and see on how Vogey comes back, his velocity is down, but without that garbage hour WBC event, hopefully he can return to 2011/2012 form.

Tay

Agree with you on all accounts Zlasher. The Giants need to sign a big time outfielder I don’t care who it as long as its not Blanco Torres platoon crap! Def need to resign Pence he is solid and will produce better next year with Pablo hopefully healthy and maybe another new outfielder Pence as your 4th or 5th best hitter is legit. Belt is so frustrating to me he sucks one month and is awesome the next that’s how is entire freaking career has been if he can continue to mash the rest of this season and starts off hott next year I will be very excited but then will probably get let done in May 2014 when he bats .150 for the month and strikes out at every worst possible situation. I’d lIke to see the Giants make a play at one of the top FA outfielders I like grander son of hes healthy and I don’t care what anybody says the Giants got Yankee money, Choo from the Reds has had a career year, EllsbUry would be legit but he probably going back to the Sox, or even a short 2 year deal with Beltran he could play LF hopefully? They will also need a pitcher basically they need to shell out some of that record sell out streak dough for some major improvements! Pitching whose they could maybe poach Straily from A’s with their big pockets. Sabean and Co. Have their work cut out for them this winter…

Sharkalchemy

I got that cringing feeling this year when they picked up Torres. Seriously, why couldn’t Sabes just keep the page turned on that? Which reminds me, why did he give up on Rajai Davis again?

the cringe continued with Vogelsong pitching in the WBC as well as all the other guys in that tourney.

that cringe grew when I would hear Bochy be the MLB ambassador he’s gotta be and talk up the WBC (thanks Selig) when we all know the baseball brass of the org doesn’t want any part of it. It’s just too much after a WS run to have a 1/3 of your team involved.

Pagan, Vogelsong, Pablo…they all run out of gas early and the team as a whole was rarely on top of its game.

reality

@Zlasher

Um, Actually we are blowing 20 million a year on both Cain and Posey, who both atrociously underachieved this year. Cain has a, what, 4.50 ERA? Posey has been invisible for like 3 months. Thats like 40 million in payroll for 7 wins and 10 RBIs since June.

Pagan had a .314 OBP when he went down. He completely overachieved in 2012. Expecting him to come back and suddenly fix all our problems is a joke, but I dont put it past this braintrust to come to that conclusion. This isn’t an 84-78 team that was close to contention. They are the worst team in baseball. Resigning Lincecum and Pence only ensures that you are maintaining continuity with the worst team in baseball.

Expecting to contend next year with virtually the same group is absolutely crazy.

reality

@Tay,

Why would Pence perform better next year? There is zero data to suggest that is true. There is zero data to indicate Lincecum will perform better next year.

I’m not sure people understand the depths to which this team and organization has fallen.

Laughingstock status. This is not a “bad penny of a year”.

reality

@Zlasher, just an FYI: Blanco has a better OBP than what Pagan had when he went down. So to say the drop in OBP is entirely attributable to the drop from Pagan to Blanco/Torres is utterly ridiculous.

Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.

The Giants, and many of their fans, better wake up here. Major, major changes are needed.

marko

SFGs haven’t been a big-bat team since Barry, they play at AT&T. (And the next few years aren’t going to be kind to big-bat teams if MLB tries to root-out high-tech pharm.) They haven’t been awfully successful going for speed guys, either (and probably don’t have the essential training staff). And payroll numbers say they shouldn’t just lose all the time. SO… the vision has to be pitching and “Hummm, baby”.

If your starters kill everybody, you’re set. If not, outstanding and sturdy middle relief and a quick hook are crucial. Don’t see any new ideas out there.

Hummm, baby? That’s hustle, hitting-for-average, great fielding, wins at home, stuff like that. Who on the club now fits there? Do those guys exist on the Grizzlies or Squirrels? Can we trade Pablo for some?

ben

jesus this is too long. you could make the same points much more succinctly and i wouldn’t have fallen asleep and crushed my laptop with my forehead trying to get through the damn thing.

Ralphie

Not really sure how this can be classified as a “great era of Giants baseball.”

You admitted in your article that the Giants were extremely fortunate in lucky in both 2010 and 2012.

From 2004-10, 2011, and 2013, the Giants didn’t even reach the post season.

So, besides 2 lucky/fortunate WS titles, the Giants have been a sub-par franchise since 2004.

#2 SFFrznciscan said it all. Perfectly. Whatever equity Baer and Sabean earned for 2010 -12 is gone. Long gone. And anyone who’s satisfied with the memories of two parades while watching the pathetic crap we’re getting now is not a baseball fan. Sentimental sap, but not a fan.

And maybe KNBR can clean up its act and stop acting like baseball is a 12-month sport. I love Kuip and Kruk, but all year? Go on a long golfing vacation. See ya in February.

Steve

Everyone associated with the Giants (management, broadcasters, beat writers, KNBR honks) seems to think that Fatso Sandoval will come into spring training in great shape and motivated to have a terrific 2014 because it’s his walk year. Maybe so, but that’s what some other organizations might be thinking so trade him while his value is high, rather than get either suckered into signing him long term or have him continue on his downward statistical/injury spiral, thus making him a worthless commodity. No long term sentimental deal for Lincecum – 2 years @ 12m max, with the understanding that morphing into a multiple inning closer is a distinct possibility. Otherwise let him walk and get a first round draft choice as compensation. If he signs, return Romo to a set-up role or trade him. Get some players based on skill, not marketability. Ellsbury would be great, but doubt the Giants will pony up what it will take to get him. Vogelsong’s option is relatively cheap, so worth the risk that he’ll regain his form. Pence is probably on a par with anyone else who is available, so a 3-4 year deal @ 13-15m feels right. No doubt the Giants will have to spend some money, as their farm system is pretty bereft of talent.

ASM

The season can be summed up with bad pitching (both the starters and the bullpen), terrible fielding that lost them multiple games and the trademark impatience at the plate with every batter swinging away as though he is Miguel Cabrera. The last aspect has been a constant over multiple years and was compensated for with excellent pitching. The offseason task is pretty simple: find hitters who are patient and take pitches like Scutaro. The bedrock of a good offense is an excellent team OBP and all else (HRs, RBIs and extra base hits) would follow. Regular 6 and 7 pitch innings will put them in a hole from which it is impossible to climb out.

Niners Team of the 80’s

I agree with TK’s point about karma and cosmic payback – if the two championship years are the Yin then 2011 and ’13 are the Yang.
The baseball gods giveth: Brooks Conrad’s “E”, Buster’s MVP, Panda’s 3 WS homers, Zito’s 2012 post-season
The baseball gods taketh away as well: Giants fielding struggles, Buster’s ankle, Panda’s injuries and slumps, Zito’s performance this season

SFFranciscan

But I still don’t think the diehards on this blogs are hearing the main point: from Bruce Jenkins through Krukow, the entire KNBR yesmen to our boy Larry Baer, everyone I hear who talks about this team for a living constantly says the Giants “can’t afford to compete with the Dodgers.”

Really? With parking at $40, beers at $12.50, and everything not nailed down for sale at a VERY retail price? Case in point: my brother and I took our kids to a game recently, another loss of course, and the six of us sat three rows from the top of the stadium down the 3rd base line at $50 a pop. He’s from Tahoe and only makes a few games a year, otherwise I would have taken the kids for ice cream instead!

$50 a ticket for a lousy seat to watch players who do not care? Or do you just think the fat man on 3rd has a glandular disease?

No. I loath Larry Baer and this ownership group, and don’t think much more of Ol’Trader Brian.

Now if the Giants do not try to compete with the Dodgers, those $50 seats (not to mention the $300 models) will go begging. Bank on it.

sliver1935

The fans are saying it all. And they are all correct! This team that thrilled us in 2012 are practically unwatchable this year. Time after time and year after year the fans are begging the team to get tough on the slob third baseman. And time after time, year after year, management just shakes their head and clucks their tongue. Unless the fat man (W.S. performance notwithstanding,) doesn’t get in shape sell the eating machine. Lincecum thinks he’s worth more than anybody else does, so low ball him or deep six him. The team has had fantastic support ever since getting their new ball park, but that will be gone if they field this putrid mess once again next season. Alot to think about Giants. Better get hopping.

Bob

Tell the producers they are running out of “Great Moments in Giants History”. The Mays, McCovey era is over. Enough with the old videos.

Now every time Arias comes up to bat-we’ll be gifted with watching his homerun from the Red Sox series for the next 5 weeks…

Hey KNBR-why not replay the midnight game with a previous Giants WIN-for the few the few that haven’t heard the score: why subject them to a 12-1 or 10-5 blowout all over again?

Get Brian Wilson back- beard and all-he looks like Sigmund Freud in a Donald Duck suit for gosh sakes.

Would Ryan Braun be available? Afterall he DID apologize.

comouomo

reality.agree with you TOTALLY on pence..also, i think it’s time to look at bochy……reminds me of don nelson……lots of wins because he’s been around so long..played baseball my whole life…..manager responsible for only, roughly, 15% of what happens on the field..in the dugout and in the clubhouse is another issue….this club has the personality of it’s manager.dead on it’s ass !!!!!!

The scene at AT&T was absolutely pathetic last night. 1/2 empty park, listless play, grouchy fans. Thought I was back at the Stick.

One of my neighbors pointed out that the owner’s section, 119 and 120 was completely empty. They have left the building as has the manager.

Why why why leave Mijares in this game when he was already being shelled? No one was warming up and no one came out to talk to him. It was like watching a raft going down a river full of pirhanas taking on water. No one reacted. The towel was thrown.

Isn’t there some sense of reality within the team that would cause them to bring younger players in and see if anything is left in the farm system for next year? Are they ‘developing’ Mijares?

The team is adrift without rudder or guidance and you can’t think of the future without even trying. Have mercy on the fans, let the season end. The price we pay for past joy should not be this brutal.

Wilson

What went wrong? Everything. When the hitting was good in the beginning, the starting pitching was horrible. When the starting pitching got better, the hitting and relief pitching were horrible.

Stuff happens. Often, by random chance, one or two things go wrong. Once in a great while, everything that can go wrong, does. That was the Giants’ year.

On paper, this is a good lineup. Eight very good hitters – Pagan, Scutaro, Posey, Belt, Panda, Pence, Crawford, and Arias. Two very serviceable leadoff/base stealer outfielders – Torres and Blanco – who happened to not hit very well this year. One very good starting pitcher – Bumgarner – three who may or may not have bounce back years in 2014 – Cain, Timmy, Vogelsong – and one who had a really good year but who knows about next year – Gaudin. They have a few good bullpen arms – Romo, Lopez, and Casilla – but the bullpen has overall been really bad.

The Giants actually had one of the better batting averages in the MLB. But they were terrible with runners in scoring position.

One of the major problems for the Giants is that their minor league system is pitiful. They do have some very good home-grown players – Crawford, Belt, Posey, Sandoval(sort of) – but the farm system is bad, only partly because they made trades at the deadline in years past. Contrast the Giants with the A’s and a number of the other teams, who can bring up quality prospect after quality prospect when somebody goes down. I blame Sabean for that. What he does to fix the team for 2014 will tell us whether the World Series wins were mainly luck on his part.

Wilson

Oh, and as painful as it is to watch the Giants stink it up, we really should be losing as many games as possible in order to give us as high a draft position as possible. Winning games does nothing but make us and the players feel better. As much of a crap shoot as the MLB draft is, there often are star players available at the very top of it who could contribute in a year or two.

VamosGigantes

Tim, thank you for writing about the Giants. Back in the first quarter of the season, when the Giants managed to play .600 ball (23-15 before that road trip to Toronto and Denver in May) they were on a very long spell of not seeing their old friend, Melky Cabrera. Then they did, and the karma gods woke up. Of course, another explanation might be this: in the first quarter of the season they scored 4 + runs in more than half their games. Since then they do this only 40% of the time. And, as you mentioned, the pitching is not nearly good enough to sustain this below-big-league-average performance. I wish I knew the solution, but I think it involves shedding some players, perhaps even some of the popular ones. I will say, though, that the Angels have shown that pursuing big-name free agents from other MLB teams isn’t necessarily the answer. Perhaps if they let Tim, Barry and Hunter go, they could use that money for lower profile free agents and/or intl types who are highly valued and still under, say 27 or so. They might also just play as much of Roger Kieschnick, Nick Noonan, et al as possible to see what they do or don’t have.

Giantsforever

After watching the Giants futile attempt to win a game on Friday from the Pirates its still evident that they for the most part have no idea what situational hitting is all about.

Pence and Sandavol swinging at pitches that they can do nothing with if they make contact. What a shame they are batting right in the middle of the lineup This coaching staff has really dropped the ball with their efforts to get this group on the right track. Big changes need to be made in 2014 to bring in people who can communicate the proper approach to hitting. Also the pitching staff. I think, has not been listening and that area also needs a new voice.

IFHT

Post #2 was right on it, great analysis of all those fat pitching “prospects”

fesnyc

saw my first game in the mid-60s, and had given up hope that I’d see a World Series come to Candlestick – er, PacBell, er, ATT Park.

Pitchers don’t last forever. Teams don’t win every year. Time to reload with some stud pitchers and get the one big bat we’ve needed for about 20 years. (Note: judging by our prowess winning WS during the Bonds era, my argument is we needed one more bat ever since Jeff Kent left)

Billbob777

Being a SF Bay Area/hardcore SF Giants fan and relocated to LA, it’s been a tough year for me seeing the Giants deteriorate and the Dodgers rise from Yankee-itis and actually be wildly successful with the high $ mercenaries they’ve brought in. Too bad the season couldn’t have ended beginning of June with the Giants in 1st and Dodgers in the cellar. Adding insult to injury, I coached my son’s TBall team (who are of course, the Dodgers) but I was still proudly wearing my SF Giants cap with the excuse that they’re WS champs. Now parents are jeering and threatening to go Brian-Stow on me. And to top it off, to see Brian Wilson in a Dodgers uniform, it’s too much to take!!!

My only hope is that our A’s can make it to the World Series and beat the Dodgers (yes, everyone thinks they WILL be there), thereby setting the plate for “Moneyball 2: the Beane Strikes Back” and proving Sabre-metrics 2.0 beats Deep-Pockets 2.0.